Syria Willing to Import LNG from Iran

Managing Director of the Syrian oil refining and distribution company Nazih Jouhara announced his country’s enthusiasm for importing liquefied natural gas from Iran, adding that Syria is in need of importing 900,000 tons of LNG annually.

Jouhara said Syria needs to import 900,000 tons of LNG per year, adding that Iran is currently supplying the liquefied gas needed in the Arab country.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to Iran’s South Pars gas field in Asalouyeh, he said Syria imports two million tons of gasoline and diesel fuel per year.

The Syrian official said that his visit to Asalouyeh is aimed at learning more about Iran’s achievements and advances in the gas and petrochemical industries.

Iran, the second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is pushing to develop its LNG industry in addition to crude oil exports, Mohsen Qamsari, the head of international affairs at the state-owned National Iranian Oil Co. had earlier said.

The nation seeks a share of the Indian and Chinese markets, which account for some 45 percent of the world’s LNG consumption, Qamsari said.

The country aims to become a major LNG supplier with an annual production capacity of 70 million tons by 2015. Iran has seven LNG production projects.

Iran shares the world’s largest known gas deposit with Qatar, which can produce 77 million metric tons of LNG a year and is the biggest exporter of the fuel.